in the destruction of land in many parts of the world. 

 Erosion is a threat wherever sloping lands are used for 

 food and fiber production- Today, steadily increasing 

 pressure on the land has magnified the problem and 

 reduced crop production at a time when food 

 requirements are greater than ever before. 



Sustainable production of food requires that 

 surrounding lands receive appropriate management. In 

 particular, soil and water must be conserved. Where 

 upstream and adjacent lands are managed under 

 conservation systems, such as national forests, 

 national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and similar types 

 of reserves, food production can benefit from more 

 stable water supplies, minimal erosion and flooding, 

 and reduced loads of sediment. These management 

 methods also affect forestry production, hunting and 

 fishing, and the tourist industry, among other 

 activities. 



The United states has developed a particularly 

 effective capability for managing natural resources, 

 built on the combined efforts of public institutions 

 (federal, state, and local) , and research and 

 experiment stations, universities, and private 

 organizations. A better understanding of hydrology and 

 the development of related management skills has led to 

 improved watershed management in both humid and arid 

 temperate areas; however, serious deficiencies remain 

 in the tropics. In all regions, careful, technically 

 sound water management would aid greatly in providing 

 agriculture with long-term, stable production by 

 reducing the risks of droughts and floods, and 

 siltation of irrigation facilities and other downstream 

 investments. 



Farming Systems . Soil and water conservation 

 measures are not applied in a vacuum, but must be 

 tailored to the physical, institutional, and 

 socioeconomic environment of the farm unit. Plans that 

 integrate all these factors usually include an analysis 

 of a locality 1 s physical-biological information and 

 economic-cultural practices. The Soil Conservation 

 Service has specialized in farm-level business 

 analysis. Its approach can be adapted to a wide 

 variety of farming regions. 



Still, it must be recognized that there is a wide 

 gulf between advising a farmer in Indiana or Iowa and 

 developing a rational plan in Nigeria. The capability 

 for this kind of planning will be greatly improved as 

 formal studies of different kinds of farming systems 

 are conducted. For example, small holdings in Nigeria 

 vary from a fraction of a hectare to several hectares 

 in size, with intricate intercropping patterns that may 

 include as many as seven species on one piece of land 

 in any given year. Similarly, in Java remarkable 



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